Secret of the Naboo
by fringeperson
Summary: Crack-ish Two-shot. No outright pairings. Complete. Rated for insanity levels. What was once the Elemental Nations is now Naboo, and for when things go completely mad, well, there's still one Jinchuriki hanging about...
1. Chapter 1

Naboo was a peaceful planet, one with a rich history – and if traced far enough back, a bloody one as well. There were very few who had access to the resources that detailed Naboo's violent past, and the rulers of Naboo were the full list. The full record of Naboo's history was kept in a secret chamber of the palace in Theed. A palace that, since its creation, had never yet been destroyed. Invaded once or twice, built upon and occasionally remodelled, but never had a shot fired by any weapon done true damage to the structure.

The reason for this could be found in the bloodiest part of the history of Naboo. A time called 'The Great Shinobi Era'. A time when Naboo had been a world filled with warriors, and with wars, rather than being a planet dedicated to the upholding of peace. The proof of that time was presented in a private ceremony between the out-going ruler and the in-coming ruler, after the official crowning.

Padme Naberrie, when she was elected at only fourteen to be the new queen of Naboo and assumed the royal title of Queen Padme Amidala, never expected such an incredible, impossible secret when King Veruna showed her how to access the secret passageway hidden (of all places) beneath the floor of the royal bathroom.

"A monarch may take their time in the fresher without being questioned," Veruna supplied with a rueful smile in answer to Padme's slightly incredulous expression. "Come," he bid softly, and led the way down the stairs that he had just revealed. "There are other _exits_," he said after a moment as they descended the spiral staircase he had revealed. "But this is the only way _in_, so far as I am aware. A security measure."

Padme nodded dumbly in understanding. "Who else knows of this?" she asked as they reached the bottom of the staircase.

"Only the kings and queens of Naboo's past have been told of this secret," Veruna answered. "And only kings and queens of Naboo will be told of it, as they come into office. It is a secret, Queen Amidala. One that we who have ruled Naboo guard. One we swear our lives to," he explained, and opened the door that waited before them.

Padme stepped into the room first, and was surprised by what she saw there. Two men, meditating in the middle of a large space. A space that included a kitchen, a garden that was full of vegetables and herbs, two sleeping mats against the further wall, a sectioned off space that could only be the bathroom, though it looked like the laundry had been combined with it. Carefully stacked on purpose-built shelves above the sleeping mats were strange scrolls, and all along the walls Padme recognised digital archives.

Behind her, Veruna coughed in that way that politely announces the presence of a person to those who are otherwise occupied – and who the person coughing doesn't actually wish to disturb.

Two pairs of eyes opened. One set was a shining blue that sparkled with the joy of life itself. The other set was red, and shone with the light of one who has carried a heavy burden and found someone who is willing to share its weight.

The bodies of the two men lowered a few inches, and it was then that Queen Amidala realised that they had been _floating_ as they meditated.

"This is your replacement then Veruna?" asked the man with red eyes. He wore his brown hair swept back and long enough to reach his earlobes, he had a shadow of a beard that covered his upper lip as well as his chin and cheeks, and he was wearing robes that had clearly _once_ been deep brown, dark red, and charcoal grey, before so many washings had seen them start to fade.

"Yes, Master Revan," Veruna answered with a bow. "This is Queen Amidala."

"Pleased to meet you," said the blue-eyed man to Amidala as he stood. His blonde hair was shaggy, but no longer than his shoulders, and his clothes – simply cut trousers and a gi shirt – were even more faded than those of the red-eyed man. Whatever colours they had once held, they were grey and off-white now. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, this is Revan."

That simple introduction would cause greater change in the young woman's life than her recent coronation.

"Shall I take my leave?" Veruna suggested.

"Ah, please come and be seated before you go," Naruto requested, and gestured for Veruna to take a seat at the kitchen table. He himself grabbed up a thin little paint brush and a pot of red-black ink.

"We're not too terrible a secret," Revan said softly to the queen as she watched Veruna open his mouth and stick out his tongue for Naruto – who proceeded to draw on the appendage with his brush. "The secrecy is that I am roughly four-thousand years old, and Naruto is somewhere around a million. If you have any concerns, you may come to us. We keep up to date on what's going on in the galaxy," he added with a nod towards the archives and a screen that was set up with them, and which was connected to the holonet. "We would be terribly bored otherwise."

"Thank you, Master Revan," Amidala answered softly. "If I may ask, what is Master Naruto doing?"

"He is placing a seal that will prevent Veruna from ever speaking of us to anybody ever again," Revan explained. "As king, it was his prerogative to choose who he spoke of us to, though we advised him – as I now advise you – to speak of us to no one if it can be helped. As he is no longer the king, he no longer has that freedom to speak of us as he pleases."

"Oh."

~oOo~

Early in the second year of her reign, Amidala was faced with a trade blockade surrounding her planet. Official channels did little to remove the problem, and what little action eventually came saw the robot army of the Trade Federation marching up the main road to the palace.

It made no sense. The Trade Federation had no _reason_ to be boycotting her planet's trade routes this way. Certainly Naboo was a great supplier of plasma to the rest of the galaxy, but that was not nearly enough of a reason for the Trade Federation to want to control her planet.

As she watched the regiments of droids march up the streets to the palace, Queen Amidala felt a horrifying epiphany strike.

Naruto and Revan. The power and knowledge they held. The ancient secrets of Naboo.

This, and nothing else, was what had brought these people to her planet with invasion in mind. None of the Trade Federation had come from Naboo though, so they would have no way of knowing about such precious and protected knowledge. This invasion had been orchestrated by _someone_ _else_. Someone who had access, at some time, to the library of Theed. Someone who had never been elected as King or Queen, and so did not have access to the valuable records of the palace – but knew that they were there.

"Sabe!" Amidala called to her handmaiden as she turned from the window. "Prepare to be a decoy!"

"Your Highness," the handmaiden demurred. "Where are you going?"

"To secure what the Trade Federation seeks here, and prevent them from obtaining it," Amidala replied, her voice soft, yet there was steel in her tone. Whoever was pulling the strings knew – she was certain – of the ancient secrets of the Naboo that were kept safely beneath the palace. She would not take the chance that the one who had instructed the Trade Federation to invade her planet might also know how to retrieve this knowledge.

Amidala hurried down the spiral staircase beneath her bathroom and burst through the door that, since the first time Veruna had brought her down, she had passed through regularly once a month – seeking advice, knowledge, and simple company.

"We are being invaded!" she declared a little breathlessly.

"We're ready," Naruto and Revan answered her stoically.

She had told them about the Trade Federation's blockade of the planet, and the two men had themselves made ready for this eventuality, just in case. Making themselves ready had mostly involved stripping their living space of the things that were stored there so that now it looked more like an emergency hidey-hole for the royal person – or a secret dungeon for a political prisoner.

"The only question is, are we fighting back or do we make a run for it, hoping to get reinforcements?" Naruto asked as they moved out and up the stairs.

"I'm not sure yet," Amidala admitted. "But I do know that they won't succeed in capturing _me_, if that is their goal," she added with determined fierceness, as she started to wipe off the royal make-up with one of her large red sleeves.

~oOo~

"How will you explain this invasion to the Senate?" Governor Sio Bibble demanded as he was marched, at blaster-point, down the hallway towards the palace throne room.

"The Queen and I will sign a treaty that will legitimise our occupation here," Gunray Nute, the Viceroy of the Trade Federation, replied calmly. "I have assurances it will be ratified by the Senate."

"Assurances from whom?" Sabe demanded from where she sat on the throne, playing her part as decoy. "Because you may have _this_ assurance, Viceroy: I will not co-operate."

"Now now, your highness," Nute scolded, treating the queen as though her age (Amidala was a mere fourteen) were more relevant than her station. "In time, the suffering of your people will persuade you to see our point of view," he promised, and it was as much a smug threat as anything else. "Commander," he called, summoning a droid with yellow paint on its chassis. "Process them," he instructed it with a disdainful, limp wave of his hand.

"Yes Sir," the droid replied mechanically as it stepped up, only to turn to another droid. "Captain, take them to camp four," it passed on the order.

"Roger roger," answered another of the droids that was a member of the party, and it raised its blaster. "Move," the droid ordered the royal party, its blaster trained specifically on Sabe, who rose slowly from the throne.

The Queen of Naboo, along with her handmaidens, Captain Panaka, and Governor Bibble were marched out of the palace. Padme, Naruto and Revan were all hidden among the orange robes of the handmaidens. Padme had been surprised that neither man had objected to the deception, and even more surprised when they had each folded their hands in a strange way and somehow transformed into women. That Sabe had only demanded to know what names she would have to call the two new additions to the entourage, Padme had almost felt herself become dizzy at the number of surprises all in such rapid succession – really the least of which was that her planet was being invaded.

The captured party and their robotic escort had left the central palace by the main steps and seemed to be heading towards the outdoor amphitheatre that filled most of the space between the palace and the Theed Library.

"Would you like us to dispatch the droids?" Naruto whispered over to Padme as they walked – Padme was safely bracketed between himself and Revan, extra protection though she was already disguised and had her decoy walking ahead of her.

"Only when we can do the most good," Padme answered. "I would like to see more of my people freed than only us," she explained softly.

Naruto nodded in acceptance, and straightened once more.

Before they could reach the 'camp four' that they were being escorted to, however, they were ambushed. Two men in robes, wielding lightsabers, dropped down from an elevated, semi-enclosed walkway and proceeded to slice all of the droids into useless pieces. Jedi. The rescue was performed with with impressive efficiency, and as tense as the situation had made Padme, she was still surprised at the way her heart fluttered when the younger of the two flourished his lightsaber as he double-checked for any more droids once all the immediate ones had been cut down.

"We should leave the street, your highness," the older Jedi requested with a slight bow to Sabe and a gesture towards an alley, even as he moved to lead the way as an advance guard.

Sabe wasted no time in leading the group off after the elder Jedi, even as Captain Panaka instructed his men to collect the weapons of the downed droids.

"So much for rescuing more people," Naruto grumbled softly to Revan, mostly upset because he didn't get to join in the fight.

Revan only rolled his eyes at his old friend.

"We are ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor," the older Jedi said, beginning an introduction once they were off the street and had some small amount of cover.

"Your negotiations seem to have failed, Ambassador," Governor Bibble grumbled pointedly.

"The negotiations never took place," the Jedi corrected, his tone only vaguely aplogetic. "It is urgent that we make contact with the Republic," he added.

"In case you hadn't noticed, the Trade Federation have _invaded_ our planet," Captain Panaka pointed out with the harshness of one who took offence at an insult that had not been directly – or possibly even intentionally – given. "The first thing they did was knock out our communications."

It looked, for a moment, as though the elder Jedi wished to curse at that. "Do you have transport?" the senior Jedi instead asked, a slight expression of hope in his dark grey eyes.

Panaka nodded slightly. "Her majesty's ship should still be in the main hangar," he allowed, and even pointed out the direction they would need to move in.

As they resumed walking once more, Revan bent to Padme's ear.

"What is that?" he asked, looking at the orange-skinned being that had followed them. It had yellow eyes on stalks that lengthened and shortened, large flaps of skin that hung down from its head to its back, and while humanoid, was also distinctly amphibian-like.

"A Gungan," Padme whispered back.

Naruto winced. "The product of some people being _very_ kinky with the Toad and Salamander summon contracts," he added unhappily. That was something that had happened a couple of hundred years before his time, but the children of those vaguely disturbing unions had settled down into a proper race in their own right some hundred and fifty years after he'd first met Gamabunta.

Meeting the Gungans had actually turned Naruto's stomach that first time, mostly because he couldn't help the horrific mental images of Ero-Sennin getting kinky like that with Ma. The thought still made him shudder, and both of them had been dead for a long time by now – Gamakichi's grandson was the Boss Toad these days. Time certainly moved on.

~oOo~

The group had (mercifully) reached the hangar where the royal ship was kept without being spotted by any of the droid army now infesting the city. Not that they had entered the hangar, but they'd reached it.

Captain Panaka peeked through the doorway briefly before ducking back, his breath suddenly coming faster than it had moments before. Apparently, he'd forgotten that avoiding the enemy during an invasion _wasn't_ actually all that easy.

"There are too many of them," Panaka declared – both unhappy and reasonably cautious. It was his job to make sure nothing hurt the Queen, after all. He couldn't guarantee her safety if they walked out there. In fact, he was fairly certain of imminent harm coming to all of them if they went out into the hangar.

"That won't be a problem," the older Jedi countered confidently before he turned to Sabe. "Your highness, under the circumstances, I think it best you come to Coruscant with us," he entreated politely, it could almost be mistaken for something that wasn't actually an order. Considering the man had no right to give orders, even such a pretence on his behalf was important.

"I thank you, Ambassador, but my place is with my people," Sabe objected, doing her best to give an answer on behalf of her queen when she couldn't see her to take cues.

Padme, aware of this, did her best to move forward subtly, so that she at least stood beside her decoy. If such a shift also brought her closer to the younger Jedi, then that was only a pleasant coincidence. A brief touch to Sabe's arm let her know of Padme's new position.

"They'll kill you if you stay," the Jedi warned. Though he hardly knew her, he expressed a true (if slightly detached) concern for her life in his expression and tone.

"They wouldn't dare," Governor Bibble asserted, offended by the very suggestion.

"They need her to sign a treaty to make this invasion of theirs legal," Captain Panaka added. "They can't afford to kill her."

"That doesn't make remaining any safer for her majesty," the younger Jedi pointed out softly, only to blush mildly and duck his head when his master turned his gaze on him briefly. The look a censure for having spoken up at all.

Revan and Naruto both frowned at that. The two of them had been making their own opinions known on far greater matters at much younger ages than they guessed this Jedi to be, and he _was_ supporting his master's advice besides. What reason then for censure?

The two friends locked gazes and subtly raised their closed fists between them. The fists were pumped three times, Naruto's first two fingers coming free, while Revan's hand flattened. They lowered their hands. Scissors beat paper, Naruto got to pick which of them he would speak to, when they got the chance.

He canted his head slightly towards the elder of the two, and Revan nodded in understanding and acceptance. Naruto would question the elder Jedi, later. Revan would tentatively probe the younger, at the same time if possible.

At the same time as this silent communication was passing between the two, Padme was surprised to feel her stomach flutter at the sound of the younger Jedi's voice. It was not a feeling that she was familiar with at all, at least, not with such a cause. Why should her stomach flutter at the sound of his voice, when the last time it had done so was the day she had been crowned Queen of the Naboo?

There was no connection between the two scenarios. It didn't make sense.

Padme forced all thoughts on the matter to the back of her mind. This was neither the time, nor the place, for such contemplations. There were much more urgent matters at hand.

"There is something else in this your highness," the elder Jedi declared, though his voice was kept low so as not to draw attention from the enemy. "There's no logic in the Federation's move here," he asserted, though he most certainly didn't know all the facts and history of Naboo.

If he had known, then he would have suspected – as Amidala had done – just what the logic was: that someone was after the ancient secrets of Naboo, that they were after Naruto and Revan.

"My feelings tell me they will destroy you," the elder Jedi tagged on.

Revan scowled at Naruto slightly, letting his blonde friend know that he wanted a chance to talk to this Jedi that threw around those sorts of airs to get his way. Especially since he was directing that comment to a decoy, and didn't seem to be able to pick up on the fact that the real Queen of Naboo was the girl in orange at her side. Especially since Revan himself had a great deal more experience with the 'feelings' the Force granted those sensitive to it, and he could tell that the elder Jedi wasn't nearly as aware of the Force as he portrayed himself to be.

Naruto rolled his eyes and nodded in answer, agreeing to a trade. That didn't mean he wouldn't take a chance to have a few choice words with the man himself though, providing he found an opportunity – and Revan knew that too.

"Our only hope is for the Senate to side with us," Governor Bibble admitted unhappily, and his eyes ghosted over Sabe to land on Padme. He had not spent as much time with Queen Amidala and her handmaidens as Captain Panaka, but he could still see the subtle differences between Padme and her decoy. "Senator Palpatine will need your help," he stated firmly.

"Either choice presents great danger," Sabe replied, and turned to check with the true what their decision would be. "For all of us," she added, as an excuse to have turned to check on 'her' handmaidens.

"We are brave, your highness," Padme replied, her voice light and soft as an extra counterpoint to the deeper, stronger voice of the 'Queen'. With these few words, Padme conveyed that she intended to go to Coruscant and present Naboo's case to the Senate herself, if such was truly a viable option.

"If you are to leave, your highness, it must be now," the older Jedi said, his gaze still focused on Sabe, urging a decision that needed to be made fast, but still as politely and gently as he could.

"Then I will plead our case to the Senate," Sabe declared firmly. "Be careful, Governor," she bid as she, Padme, Naruto, Revan and the other handmaidens, as well as Captain Panaka followed the Jedi through the doors and into the hangar beyond.

~oOo~

Everything seemed to suddenly happen much faster and in slow motion at the same time as they marched through the hangar and towards the ship.

"We'll need to free those pilots," Panaka stated, and pointed out the group that was under droid guard.

"I'll deal with that," offered the younger Jedi as he gently waved off the offer of Panaka's stolen blaster and broke off towards the captured pilots.

"Halt," commanded a droid as their group reached it.

"I'm Ambassador to the Supreme Chancellor," the elder Jedi declared. "I'm taking these people to Coruscant."

Padme frowned, while Revan resisted the urge to slam a palm into his forehead, and Naruto struggled against the wish to physically pick the man up by his ankles and beat his face into the floor.

"Where are you taking them?" the droid questioned.

"To Coruscant," the Jedi repeated blandly.

Were the Jedi now so arrogant that they stated their intentions to the enemy? Even if only a droid? If the Viceroy were able to retrieve that information from the droid, then he would know where they had gone! Okay, so their destination might be a bit obvious given the circumstances, but did he really have to spell it out like that?

"Er, Coruscant, that does not compute, er wait er, you're under arrest!" the droid decided, and even pointed at the elder Jedi.

The raised arm, as well as a good portion of the droid's torso, was promptly sliced through by the Jedi's lightsaber.

The rest of them ran for the access ramp, and were soon enough joined by some (though not all) of the pilots that the younger Jedi had freed from their droid guards.

"Is everybody alright?" the younger Jedi asked when he came up the ramp a few heart-pounding moments later, the second-to-last of them to board the ship.

"Yes," Naruto replied demurely – he was currently under a henge to look like a young woman, after all. "Thank you, Master Jedi."

"Oh, I'm not a master," he protested humbly, a flattered smile on his face. "I'm still just a Padawan. Obi-Wan Kenobi, at your service," he said, introducing himself at last. "I apologise for not making proper introductions earlier, but there didn't really seem to be the time."

"I'm Naruto, this is Revan, and Padme," Naruto presented. "Body-guards to the Queen, as are Dane, Rabe, Sache, Yane and Eirtae, who are also handmaidens and with the queen right now."

"Body-guards?" the Jedi repeated, clearly impressed and not at all disbelieving, which all three of them appreciated as his eyes shifted in admiration between the three. "What sort of training to you require for such a position?" he enquired curiously.

"No time for small-talk now Obi-Wan," the elder Jedi ordered his student he marched in and as the ramp was raised behind him, not having even taken the time to learn what they were discussing, which was possibly better for them.

The Padawan Jedi grimaced at the reprimand all the same, bowed in apology to the trio, and went to follow after his master.

Naruto turned to Padme.

"Did you know, I can smell your body's reaction to him?" he asked the girl lightly. "I bet you don't even know yourself what all the strange reactions you're feeling mean."

Padme tucked her chin into her collar, still hoping to avoid thinking about the strange sensation elicited in her by the younger Jedi, and more than that hoping to avoid any mockery from the Naboo ancient.

Revan raised a curious eyebrow and extended a sort of 'blanket' of the Force around the young queen. He smirked as he allowed it to dissipate.

"This should be interesting to watch unfold," he quipped to his friend over Padme's head.

Naruto chuckled in agreement. "Indeed," he confirmed, then slid an arm around Padme's waist. "Alright you, time for us to rejoin the others before they start to really worry about you."

Padme nodded silently in acceptance of this, and let herself be guided to where Sabe and the others were waiting.

~oOo~

Leaving the atmosphere, and getting past the blockade that was in orbit around the planet, was somewhat easier said than it was done. The ride was a bumpy one, and they lost all but one of the ships astromech droids when they had to be deployed after the ship was hit.

That lone surviving droid was presented to the Queen once they were clear of the Trade Federation's blockade, and had reached the relative safety of open space.

"Padme," Sabe called forth. "Take Revan and Naruto, and clean little Artoo-Deetoo up as best you can," she instructed, knowing that her queen would also take the opportunity to learn more of their situation, while the task itself would keep Padme out of too much mischief – and Naruto and Revan would keep Padme safe, even as they also used the opportunity to sticky-beak about. Sabe didn't know these two save the few words they had exchanged when introduced to each other, but they had Padme's confidence and trust. That was enough. "It deserves our gratitude," she added, in-keeping with the mannerisms and behaviour of the true Queen Amidala.

Padme, Naruto and Revan all moved to stand by the droid – which incidentally put Padme in Sabe's line of sight, and would allow Sabe to take her cue more easily.

"Continue, Captain," Sabe instructed, keeping half an eye on her queen for guidance as she played her role.

Instead of answering continuing his report, however, Captain Panaka turned to the Jedi, both of which were present, though their Gungan companion was absent from the meeting.

The elder of the two Jedi, the one who had still yet to introduce himself, stepped forward. Clearly, whatever the issue was, he would be the one to tell her.

"Your highness, with your permission, we're heading for a remote planet called Tatooine," he stated, and though he had said 'with your permission', it was quite clear that there would be no discussion on the matter.

With the queen's permission or not, Tatooine was where they would make their next stop. The little astromech droid had saved the ship, and their lives, but the hyper-drive was damaged and they did not have enough fuel to make it to Coruscant. They would have to make a stop along the way to make repairs as well as to refuel. Any stop they made could put the Naboo monarch at risk of being captured by the Trade Federation.

"It's in a system far beyond the reach of the Trade Federation," the elder Jedi assured her before Sabe could enquire as to the safety of making such a stop, however needful it might have been.

"I do not agree with the Jedi on this your highness," Panaka spoke up, tension radiating from the line of his shoulders and the set of his jaw.

"Why?" Padme mouthed to Sabe, even as the elder Jedi insisted that his judgement should be trusted – without giving a single reason why it should so be. Granted that on Tatooine they would supposedly be safe from the Trade Federation, that did not take into account the many other possible dangers the planet could potentially offer them.

"Why exactly should I trust your judgement, Master Jedi?" Sabe asked, her tone as polite as it was pointed. "I am well accustomed to trusting the judgement of Captain Panaka, and he disagrees with you on this matter," she continued, and her eyes flashed dangerously for a moment. "I have been Queen of the Naboo for over a year already," she gave firm reminder. "Do _not_ think that my age may be equated with foolishness or naivety."

"Tatooine was the suggestion of my Padawan," the Master Jedi admitted, which gave no answer to the question asked of him, and was a clear attempt to divert the queen's ire from himself – and everybody knew it, even the Padawan, as his blue eyes grew wide in his face with a faint expression of fear and betrayal in their depths.

Padme frowned at the diversion, all the same...

"Come forward, Jedi Padawan," Sabe commanded, a little more gently. "Explain your reasoning for choosing Tatooine as our destination."

Obi-Wan swallowed nervously, but he stepped forward all the same.

"If it please your highness, I have been to Tatooine before," he began, and though he had displayed nervousness prior to being called forward, none of that was apparent in his tone or bearing once he started explaining himself. "With my previous Jedi Master," he added with a glance to the elder Jedi when he received a curious, confused look from the man. The expression did not fade with that explanation.

"While Tatooine is small and generally out of the way, it is quite near to our current location, and we will have fewer repairs to make to the ship if we make those repairs sooner, rather than later," Obi-Wan explained.

Sabe nodded regally to display that she understood and conceded this point.

"Tatooine is poor in many ways, but there are a number of parts dealers there," the young man elaborated. "I am confident that we will be able to find the parts we need to make the necessary repairs."

Captain Panaka frowned, and somehow the expression was loud, though he made no noise.

"The Hutts that control Tatooine may be gangsters," Obi-Wan conceded with a glance to Captain Panaka, "but even gangsters have a code of their own. So long as we do nothing to draw the attention of the Hutts, you would be safer there than you would be if we went to a planet where the Federation has a foothold."

"And what would draw their attention?" Sabe questioned, mostly for Padme's benefit. Sabe herself actually spoke Huttese and knew a little of the culture, though she rarely had occasion to use that knowledge – and it was unlikely that she would have a chance while they were on Tatooine either, since she was presently disguised as Amidala.

"Acting as if we do not want to be discovered on Tatooine would rouse suspicion from the natives, and should we find ourselves unable to pay any debts we may incur," Obi-Wan answered, "it would be a matter brought before the Hutts."

"Debts?" Sabe repeated.

"Generally gambling debts, your highness," Obi-Wan admitted. "Tatooine has a large gambling culture, but any other matters of financial dispute as well. The Hutts run their planets on money, rather than laws," he explained.

"Will Republic Credits be sufficient for the purchases we require?" Sabe probed. Some planets controlled by the Hutts would not take Republic Credits – she knew this, even if others present did not – and she wanted to know if Tatooine was one such planet.

Obi-Wan winced slightly. "It is... unlikely," he admitted. "Republic Credits don't go very far on non-Republic planets."

"Then how would we be able to pay for the parts that we needed?" Captain Panaka demanded harshly. "You recommend the place because we'd be able to make repairs without getting caught, but if we can't buy the parts, how are we going to make repairs?"

"To be completely honest?" Obi-Wan offered. "With your highness' permission, I actually thought that the best course of action might well be to abandon the very fine Nubian craft in exchange for another that is less likely to be recognised as your personal vessel."

"We are unlikely to be able to make much of a trade for a ship that may well need its hyper-drive replaced," Sabe pointed out softly.

"With permission, your highness, I know a few dealers on Tatooine," Obi-Wan admitted, and privately hoped that none of the dealers he'd made friends with had died since he had last been to the planet. "Even if turns out that the hyper-drive does need to be replaced, I can think of at least one that would still be more than happy to make the trade."

Silence reigned through the ship's small throne room as the Queen considered the matter. The elder, Master Jedi was looking at his apprentice as one coming to the realisation that they do not know a person as well as they had thought they did, and was not pleased with this discovery. The younger, Jedi Padawan was somehow both relaxed and confident – _and_ tense as a bow-string. Captain Panaka looked very much like he wanted to hit both of the Jedi.

Padme finally subtly signalled to Sabe that she agreed with the plan presented to them – but that she wanted to be present as it was carried out.

"Very well," Sabe declared. "We shall go to Tatooine – however, Jedi Padawan, I wish for you to take Padme, Revan and Naruto with you. I wish to learn more of what it is like on these outer planets, but know that I cannot go myself without drawing attention. I will not send only one of my handmaidens with you alone though."

Obi-Wan bowed to the queen in acceptance of these additional instructions, while Captain Panaka bowed in acceptance of the decision to go to Tatooine. The elder Jedi did not bow at all until they were dismissed from the chamber, and even then it was not very deep.

~oOo~

Some might think that Queen Amidala, young and idealistic as she was, would also be naïve. Those people would be wrong. They would also most likely learn that the hard way. She was not naïve, nor was she foolish. She certainly wasn't stupid. Padme Naberrie had the benefit of an excellent education in many areas, and her education had only expanded when she became Queen Amidala of the Naboo – and had been presented to Naruto and Revan.

Revan enjoyed tinkering with robotics. Naruto enjoyed tinkering with pretty much anything. Then again, Naruto had plenty of time in which to learn the ins and outs of pretty much everything. They, therefore, opened up the astromech droid R2-D2 and made sure that all of his circuits were undamaged while Padme saw to the matter of simply cleaning it.

Padme enjoyed cleaning up R2-D2. She didn't have the gift with machines that her companions were displaying or that her elder sister had, but she still enjoyed the work now and then – and she was genuinely grateful to R2-D2 for doing such a good job saving them all. Sabe had not been wrong about that when she expressed the Royal Gratitude towards the little droid.

"Hallo," a voice greeted, distracting all three of them from their work. It was the Gungan. "Sorry," he said, most probably for surprising them. "Who-sa are you-sa?"

"I'm Padme," the girl replied, returned to scrubbing the little droid's outer coverings, though she still kept her eyes on the Gungan. "These two are Naruto and Revan."

"Me-sa Jar-Jar Binks!" the Gungan presented himself with a smile.

"And how did a Gungan come to be on the royal ship?" Revan questioned politely, though he also returned to his task as he talked.

"My no know," the Gungan, Jar-Jar, replied. "My-sa day startin' pretty okie-day with a brisky mornin' munchin', then _boom_! Gettin' berry scared, an' grabbin' that Jedi, then _pow_! Me-sa here," he explained, walking around her and making large gestures as he told his little tale. "Me-sa gettin' berry _berry_ scared," he admitted, a hand over his chest to indicate how much the whole adventure had affected him.

Padme couldn't help but laugh a little at this Gungan and his way of telling a story.

"You... _grabbed_ one of the Jedi?" Naruto checked, bemused. "How did that happen? I thought Gungans hardly ever left their city."

Jar-Jar's head dropped down, and he started to fiddle with his fingers. "My had been banished," he admitted sheepishly.

"What for?" Padme asked, equally curious and cautious. Surely the Jedi wouldn't have brought a _criminal_ with them?

"It-sa long-o tello, but a small part of it would be me-sa, ah, clumsy," the Gungan admitted sheepishly.

"And the Gungans are warriors," Naruto noted. That had not changed about the peculiar descendants of the summons, even if the _people_ of Naboo didn't so much as remember the days when a large part of the population were shinobi. "A clumsy warrior would cause problems on a battlefield."

"Me-sa causing maybe one or two-y little-bitty accident-ys," Jar-Jar tried to tone down, only to sigh despondently. "Yah," he agreed. "Clumsy isn't safe in Gungan City, not for anybody."

"If I remember right though, the Gungan City is a long way from Theed," Revan commented, looking at Naruto, rather than Jar-Jar to check if that was right.

"Oh yeah," Jar-Jar replied. "We go through the Planet Core to get to Naboo City. It was nutsy! That Jedi was all 'not in trouble yet', but with monsters out there, and leakin' in the bongo, I wanna know when he's-a thinkin' he's-a in trouble!" Jar-Jar ranted, the panic of that moment returning to him as he recalled the trip.

Naruto and Revan shared a Look. Revan nodded, and quietly excused himself. He was going to Talk to that Jedi Master before they reached Tatooine. The only reason said Talk would not be continuing after they landed was because he'd been designated as one of Padme's guards while she got a look at how people lived outside the Republic.

~oOo~

"Hey," Naruto called softly as he leant on the door-frame. Time to see how much he still deserved the moniker 'number one unpredictable knuckle-head' – and to see how much he could surprise the Jedi without going so far as to pull out any actual shinobi techniques.

The young Jedi jumped in his seat, caught completely by surprise, and turned quickly to see who had managed to sneak up on him.

"Oh, Naruto," Obi-Wan greeted. "You startled me."

Naruto chuckled. "I noticed," he quipped, and stepped properly into the room. "In advance, I apologise," Naruto offered.

Obi-Wan frowned. "For what?" he asked.

Naruto chuckled. "Revan," he answered simply, then shook his head, knowing that he would have to elaborate. "My friend is, as we speak, hunting down your master to give the man a Talking To."

Obi-Wan chuckled at that. "I wish her luck," he offered.

"Him," Naruto corrected. "Revan and I are only disguised as handmaidens," Naruto explained when Obi-Wan snapped around to stare at him, again surprised by the blonde. "We've got the wrong parts. A little bit of extra security for her highness, not that we're really _needed_," he added thoughtfully, deliberately ignoring the way his conversation partner's eyes were growing increasingly wide. "Captain Panaka made sure all the girls, the Queen included, were thoroughly trained in all the things a bodyguard would need to know. Actually, the presence of Revan and myself among the girls has put Panaka a bit more on edge than he usually is, and then there was the invasion on top of it."

Obi-Wan chuckled at that, finally overcoming his shock in the face of the teasing mention of the very serious Captain of the Guard.

"So, now you know, and I hope you won't mind talking to me man-to-man," Naruto requested with a smile. A smile that he'd learned and perfected when he'd been training to become Hokage – a position which ultimately was taken from him when Konohamaru proved himself to be a 'better' candidate in the view of the Daimyo. No, he wasn't bitter. Konohamaru had been a great Hokage, and Naruto had realised during the training period just how much paperwork the job involved, as well as how little real action.

"Too many handmaidens?" Obi-Wan asked with an amused smile of his own.

Naruto shook his head. "Nah. Revan and me, we've been part of the Palace since before the current administration. Worked with King Veruna before Queen Amidala, and King Taplo before him. Having a girl in charge is a nice change, even if it does mean we're dressing up as girls when we join the security detail," he replied easily. "But we've been together, just the two of us, for a long time – and no, not _that_ way, before you even think of it. New conversation is to be appreciated," he continued. "So satisfy an enquiring mind, if you would?"

Obi-Wan chuckled, but nodded in assent.

"Tell me about being a Jedi?" Naruto requested.

Obi-Wan scoffed lightly, without a hint of derision. "That's a rather vague request," he pointed out easily. "What do you want to know?"

Naruto scrunched his face up in thought – the way he'd used to back when he hadn't even hit his second decade, let along his second century. "This Master-Padawan thing," Naruto began after a moment. "How's it work? You've mentioned having a different Master before What's-His-Name you're currently saddled with."

Obi-Wan coughed in shock at the phrasing, but nodded in acknowledgement that Naruto was not wholly wrong in what had been said.

"Er, yes," Obi-Wan said. "I was given to Master Bergoglio when I was really still just a Youngling and should have been having lessons in the Temple with the other Initiates. I mean, I still _did_ have lessons in the Temple, and I had them with the other Initiates, but I was also taken off by Master Bergoglio fairly regularly."

Naruto smiled at the wistful expression that settled on the young man's features as he spoke of his first Master. "What was he like?" he probed softly.

"Compassionate," Obi-Wan answered instantly, "and practical... and frail," he added, his bright blue eyes going a little dim with the touch of a sad memory. He shook it off quickly though. "Because Master Bergoglio was so frail, no one was intimidated by him, even when they learned he was a Jedi. He was much respected, and on every planet and system he took me to, Master Bergoglio was respectfully called upon by some new stranger to mediate a matter, if he could spare the time." Obi-Wan smiled to himself as he lost himself once more in a happier memory. "He always could," he recalled.

"Why is this Master Bergoglio no longer your master?" Naruto asked as delicately as he could.

"Master Bergoglio was frail," Obi-Wan repeated quietly. "His heart collapsed in his sleep when I was fourteen. As that is the age _most_ Initiates are given to Jedi Masters to be Padawans, it was a simple matter to the Council that I should be likewise given to another Master. I am not certain that Master Qui-Gon knew that I even had another Master before him," Obi-Wan admitted.

"And what's your _current_ Master like?" Naruto questioned. "To you, I mean," he clarified. "He seems arrogant and high-handed to me."

"Master Qui-Gon is a stern taskmaster, and has taught me a great deal since I was given to him as a Padawan," Obi-Wan said. "He is... very different to Master Bergoglio. Master Bergoglio had an aura around him inspired and encouraged kindness. Master Qui-Gon rather seems to inspire frustration, and something of a burning desire to prove the man wrong whenever he offers criticisms."

Naruto chuckled at that. He could still, somehow, remember a time when the driving force behind all of his actions had been to prove so many people of Konoha wrong. He had too, even if he hadn't ever been granted the title of Hokage, and now here he was, still kicking even when the civilisation he had been born into had long since disappeared.

"Master Qui-Gon believes in living in the moment," Obi-Wan continued, this time without any prompting, and gave a frustrated, heaving sigh. "Which makes him very frustrating, and sometimes seem very cold. Master Qui-Gon doesn't think on the past at all, so far as I can tell, and gives very little thought to the future."

Naruto nodded slowly. "I can see how that would make the man a pain in the rear," he allowed.

"The man is also an arrogant, bull-headed, senile old fool, and I am sorely tempted to break his jaw on my fist," Revan declared with a low growl as he swept into the room and helped himself to a chair.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Your Talk with him didn't go well?" he guessed.

Revan scowled. "He uses Force Suggestion to get his way half the time, and his 'I am a Jedi and therefore know best' airs the other half the time," he answered with a snarl as he crossed his arms over his chest and slouched down in a huff. "And he learned _that_ habit from _his_ stupid Jedi Master," he added. Then he shifted his burgundy gaze up to fix on one of the sets of blue eyes that were watching him.

Obi-Wan's.

"If I ever hear of you behaving in that manner, I shall be _very_ upset. It's that sort of thing that turns whole cultures against Jedi. That entitled, holier-than-thou attitude," Revan stated firmly.

Obi-Wan blinked in surprise at that. "Well," he said after a moment. "I suppose that might explain why Master Qui-Gon is so rarely sent off on a mission to a planet where he's been before, as compared to Master Bergoglio, who regularly returned to the same communities to check up on the friends he made there."

Revan and Naruto both snorted in amused agreement at the Padawan's observation.

~oOo~

"There it is," the pilot declared as the desert planet loomed large beyond the cockpit. "Tatooine."

"We need to make for this settlement," Obi-Wan said, his voice quiet as he sat beside the pilot. He never really enjoyed flying at all, but he felt _better_ about it at least when he was behind the controls of the craft. This particular craft required more than one person in the cockpit at a time, so while Obi-Wan wasn't permitted to pilot the ship, he could be involved – and right now, he was the one giving directions.

The pilot leaned over in his seat to check the on-planet co-ordinates of the settlement Obi-Wan indicated, and with a nod, he began an entry sequence.

"The hangar will accept Republic Credits for their docking fee," Obi-Wan added. "They do enough inter-galactic trade that they can send off the credits again without worrying about their profits."

"Alright then," the pilot muttered in agreement and contacted the space port, requesting a docking bay or hangar for use.

"You should have called for a hangar a week ago," the voice on the other end of the line answered. "I got no room for the rest of the week that hasn't been booked a month in advance because of the Race."

On a hunch, Obi-Wan checked the date and sagged a little. "The Boonta Eve Classic," he moaned, and it was a moan of loss. So close – and yet the general hope on board the ship was to be off-world again before twenty-four hours had passed. Another year that he wouldn't get to watch the races.

"I guess we'll have to land on the outskirts of town then?" the pilot suggested, the words reaching both the young Jedi and the person who had just denied them a berth at the space port.

"Normally, I'd direct you to one of the other space ports on this rock," started the voice on the other end, "but this time of year, _this_ is the place to be, so sure. I'll put in the register that you're landing just out of town due to a full hangar here."

"Much appreciated," the pilot replied, and closed the link. Then he turned to Obi-Wan. "Okay, what's the Boonta Eve Classic?" he asked, having heard his companion groan the words.

"The biggest pod-race in the galaxy," Obi-Wan replied. "And it's tomorrow, provided no sand-storms delay it. Pilots and spectators will have come from all over Hutt-space, and very possibly a few Republic planets as well, to take part in this."

"Do I dare ask what pod-racing is?" the pilot asked with an amused smiled.

"Madness," Obi-Wan replied instantly. "Edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting, _thrilling_ madness. The ultimate adrenaline rush for any pilot, provided they can keep up. I'll see if I can get a recording of last year's Boonta Eve Classic while I'm dirt-side, if you like," he offered.

The pilot smirked, and jerked his chin out in an appreciative nod. "Sounds interesting," he declared. "I'd appreciate it."

~oOo~ 

"You're going out in your robes?" Qui-Gon asked, surprised, as he stood by the ramp to see them off.

"Yes Master," Obi-Wan answered easily. "I've never hidden who and what I was when I was on Tatooine before. I see no good reason to start now. Besides, the cloak will keep some of the sun off."

At that moment, Padme, Revan and Naruto joined Obi-Wan, and they headed down the ramp, R2-D2 trailing behind with the full schematics of the ship. Qui-Gon got to stay behind and baby-sit the Gungan and the rest of the royal entourage.

"Can the hyper-drive be fixed?" Padme asked. "Or are we going to have to trade in the whole ship just to get off the planet?"

Obi-Wan shrugged uncomfortably as they walked. "It probably could be," he allowed, "but not with the equipment we have on the ship, nor the funds. As I said before, people who take Republic Credits out here are few and far between."

"I could hunt down some local bounties," Naruto offered eagerly. "Get a little cash, hit the gambling dens, multiply our funds a few times over. I'll have us cashed up to get us equipped before the sun goes down."

"I will judiciously ignore the part about hunting down a person, and simply make comment as to your clearly supreme confidence," Obi-Wan quipped, even as his eyebrows rose towards his hairline in surprise – but not scepticism. He could feel how strong Naruto was in the Force, now that they were away from the ship and Naruto wasn't actively hiding it any more.

Obi-Wan hadn't known it was possible _to_ hide one's presence in the Force, but Naruto and Revan both had done that, only lifting the shields or cloaks that hid their power once they were away from the ship – and away from Qui-Gon.

Naruto grinned. "I have yet to lose a game of chance," he said happily. "Even when the dice were loaded against me."

"Really?" Padme asked, eyes wide.

Revan scowled. "Really," he confirmed for his smiling friend. "I learnt that the hard way when we first met."

Naruto laughed loudly some more, and Obi-Wan's quiet chuckle hesitantly joined in.

"Around here, you may very well be faced with loaded dice," the young Jedi allowed freely. "If the one you're betting against thinks you're dumb enough to let him get away with... it... Hmm," Obi-Wan hummed as a thought struck him. He shot a look over at Naruto. "You're sure of your luck?" he asked.

Naruto nodded. "I have _never_ lost a game of chance," he reaffirmed, more seriously this time, since he could tell the young Jedi was planning something.

Obi-Wan smiled. "Then I know just how to get a better deal for us," he said. "Whether you are still interested in trading the ship for a different one or not, your highness," he added to Padme.

Chocolate brown eyes widened fearfully, and Padme swallowed tightly. "How -? When -?" she choked.

"You should have asked 'what', your highness," Obi-Wan corrected gently. "And I guessed, based on what I managed to learn about Masters Revan and Naruto the other day when we were talking."

"Oh," Padme said softly, and a little fearfully.

Obi-Wan smiled gently and wrapped an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "I swear, your highness, your secret is safe with me," he promised.

"Then you'd better continue to call me Padme," she reminded him, her own voice weak as she made the protestation.

"Of course Padme," Obi-Wan agreed with a solemn nod.


	2. Chapter 2

"Gooddé da lodia," a coarse voice greeted when the almost surprisingly pleasant chime sounded upon their entrance to the shop. To match the voice, a Toydarian lifted himself up from behind the counter. "Hi chuba da naga?"

"Cheeska uba," Obi-Wan replied with a grin. "Hello Watto."

"Obi!" The Toydarian exclaimed happily. "Eh. Cha skrunee da pat. You may have shot up like a weed since I last saw you, but I know your Master would still put you over his knee if you really meant to do that. Where is Bergoglio? And who are the ootmian hanging about the chik youngee?"

"I'm afraid Master Bergoglio passed away a little over ten years ago," Obi-Wan answered solemnly.

"I'ma sorry to hear that," the Toydarian replied. "Bergoglio was a good man. Brought me good business."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "No, _I_ brought you good business," he corrected happily, "when Master Bergoglio was teaching me how to pilot out there where the sand is soft enough I didn't break my head even if I crashed my speeder."

Watto laughed from his belly at that, and nodded agreeably. "That you did, that you did. You bring me more business?" he asked.

Obi-Wan nodded. "I know you stock better Nubian than anybody else on Tatooine," he stated plainly. "And more of it than anybody else too," he added.

Watto gave a pleased chuckle as he nodded again, accepting the flattery that had been slipped in with the statement of fact, and turned towards the back of the shop. "Peedunkee! Get out here!"

A child answered the call, his clothes the same colour as the sand and clay buildings all around him, the same colour as his hair and the dirt on his face.

"What took you so long?" Watto demanded lightly.

"I was cleaning the switches," the boy answered.

"Employing children, Watto?" Obi-Wan asked with a smile.

"Ah, Ani here is a slave. I won the boy and his mother off Gredulla the Hutt a coupla years ago," the Toydarian explained. "Kid is good with his hands, knows his way around any machine you care to name," he added proudly, as though he'd taught the boy everything he knew.

Knowing Watto as Obi-Wan did, he suspected it was very likely true.

The hovering Toydarian turned to the child. "Watch the shop, I got business to do," he instructed the child, and then waved for Obi-Wan and his company to follow him out to where he kept the Nubian parts. "What you need?"

"A hyper-drive," Obi-Wan answered simply, "and a couple of other parts. Artoo here has the specifics," he added, patting the astromech droid on its dome.

"It might be cheaper for you to buy a whole new ship," Watto quipped right back as they travelled.

Obi-Wan smirked. "I had thought of doing that, actually," he answered easily. "I know who trades around here, and I know who would be happy to take it off my hands, but I thought of you first."

"Ah! Flattery won't get you anywhere with me Obi," Watto scolded fondly. "And I know when you start with it, you're thinking up some scheme."

Obi-Wan chuckled. "Simple roll of the dice," he offered. "Just one roll. You win, you get the ship. I win, we get all the parts we need to fix it – and I'll give you the parts that broke in exchange. I know you and that boy you've got will be able to fix them up, but that will take more time than we have right now."

Watto grinned. "None of your Jedi tricks," he said, and it was an agreement to the bet.

"No loaded dice," Obi-Wan countered just as easily, a smile still on his face.

"Ha!" Watto barked, pleased with the boy. "You got a deal. We make this fair, eh? Get one of your friends here to throw the dice. The chik youngee, perhaps? Might bring you the luck you'll need for this sort of betting."

Obi-Wan nodded in easy agreement, not worried at all about correcting Watto's presumption about Padme. She wasn't dressed like any sort of dancing girl, but he knew that – compared to most of Tatooine's residents – her skin was too smooth to really be on anybody who didn't use their body to make their coin.

"Padme, if you would do the honours?" Obi-Wan requested, even as Watto pulled out the little wooden block he used for quick betting – the one that wasn't loaded. Obi-Wan knew perfectly well that the little Toydarian had two, and the one that had blue dots on half its sides was the one that was loaded. Tatooine's inhabitants were creatures who held on to what they had for as long as it would last them. The dice wouldn't be replaced unless they'd been burned up in a fire – and as hot as Tatooine was, there wasn't much around the place that could actually burn outside of engines.

"Red for you to win, and yellow for me," Watto offered.

"Agreed," Obi-Wan replied.

Padme knelt down so that she could roll the dice onto the dirt, and smiled brightly up at Obi-Wan when it came up red.

"Eh, you win," Watto agreed, a slightly put-out smile on his face. "I make the delivery to your ship and collect the wrecked parts at the same time, okay?" he offered.

"Thank you, my friend," Obi-Wan answered gratefully, and gave a bow to the blue hovering alien.

"You did me a good deal both ways on this," Watto pointed out as they returned to the shop. "New parts to fix up will keep Ani out of trouble while the Boonta Classic is going on," he quipped, causing said child to pout. "Boy actually races," he continued, that hint of pride showing in his voice again. "Sebulba always wins of course, but the boy managed to mostly save the pod when he crashed last time."

"That is certainly impressive," Obi-Wan praised, directing it to the child. "Maybe another year I'll get to see you win a race?" he suggested.

The boy grinned back. "I will next time!" he vowed.

~oOo~

"I can't believe there's still slavery in the galaxy," Padme said when they eventually left Watto's shop behind, clearly her mind still lingering on the child. "The Republic's anti-slavery laws..."

"The Republic doesn't exist out here," Obi-Wan said, his voice soft and tone apologetic. "The Jedi are barely accepted, and the acceptance we have is always on an individual basis. Master Bergoglio spent nearly all his life establishing his own goodwill out here, and I am fortunate that he brought me with him when I was a child and helped me to establish my own."

"But still, that poor boy..." Padme started.

"Has a very kind master in Watto," Revan cut her off quickly. "I don't know Watto, but I could still tell that he was as proud of the child's accomplishments as though he were his own son," he pointed out.

Naruto nodded in agreement to that, much as he too was unhappy about slavery and slaves.

"And you notice he didn't say anything about what the boy's mother was good at?" Obi-Wan pointed out. "That means he doesn't really make demands of her, and even if she is a mother, that is nothing to stop some slave owners from making their female slaves be whores for extra coin, but Watto hasn't, and he won't, because Toydarians don't believe in that sort of thing. If a Toydarian owns a slave, then that slave will have a certain level of care provided for them by their masters – they will be kept fed and healthy."

"Out here, I'm guessing that's as much as many can ask for," Naruto said softly.

Obi-Wan nodded in confirmation. "It isn't perfect, but for what it is, it isn't as terrible as it could be." He judiciously refrained from mentioning that, had the boy been on a Republic planet, he would never know the joy of growing up with his mother. The boy fairly glowed with the Force, but young as the child was, the Council would now deem him too old to train. It would be a cruelty to take the boy away now, even if the child might think he wished for such a 'rescue'.

Padme bit her lip at the gently chiding explanation that had come at her from all sides, but finally she nodded in acceptance.

"So where do we go now?" Padme finally asked.

"Well, we could simply return to the ship, and then leave for Coruscant once the repairs have been completed, or we could go looking for another friend of mine, who I am fairly certain is still alive, to make that trade I was talking about," Obi-Wan said, offering both options to the young queen.

"I think I just want to leave," Padme decided, her voice soft.

The young Jedi nodded silently in understanding, and looked out to where they had landed the ship.

"We'd better hurry," he said. "It looks like a sand storm is coming. We really do _not_ want to be caught out in that."

They passed a returning Watto and Anikin on the way back to the ship, and reached the ramp just in time to hurry up it and have the door close behind them when the storm hit.

"Okay, that was close, and more fun than I've had in a long time," Naruto declared with a wide grin as he slumped against the closed door. There was sand all through his hair, and very likely lodged in the weave of his clothes.

In fact, this was true for all four of them – and it was worse for Padme, because the sand had gotten into her braids as well.

"Right, I'm getting the sand off, and then... I suppose I have a hyper-drive to fix up," Obi-Wan declared. "Artoo? Care to join me?" he asked the little droid.

It whistled back an affirmative, and happily rolled off behind the young Jedi.

~oOo~

"Obi-Wan," Padme called softly into the engine room some hours later. "We received a distress call from Governor Bibble just now."

"I thought the communications tower was down," Obi-Wan said, confused as he came out from where he was fixing the hyper-drive. R2-D2 was dealing with some of the other repairs in another part of the engine room.

Padme confirmed that with a sad little nod. "It was when we left," she agreed. "Governor Bibble said in his message that the people of Naboo are dying, but I knew we couldn't answer him, even without Master Qui-Gon saying so. It was too clearly a trick. The Viceroy of the Trade Federation would have forced him to send it."

"Likely at blaster-point himself," Obi-Wan agreed softly, and moved to her side so that he could run a comforting hand up and down Padme's back. "Did you talk to Revan and Naruto?" he asked.

Padme nodded again. "They agreed. It's either a trap, or an attempt to track us down. Here," she said and pulled a small holocron device from her pocked. It played Governor Bibble's message back for Obi-Wan.

"I do not doubt that my people _are_ dying," Padme whispered sadly once it was complete and she had tucked the disc with the message away in her pocket. "But the only thing I can do to help them now is reach Coruscant faster. It's entirely possible that they traced the message, like Revan and Naruto said. It was sent directly to the royal ship, after all."

Obi-Wan couldn't help but agree, especially as he could now feel the approach of someone, distant yet and he didn't know who, but they were filled with malicious intent that was directed towards their party.

"We will leave Tatooine behind, and they will still be searching for us here by the time we reach Coruscant," he said softly.

Padme nodded, cheek against Obi-Wan's chest, and let him lead her back to her rooms on the ship to rejoin her handmaidens, Revan, Naruto and Sabe her decoy.

A whistle called out to him when he returned and Obi-Wan was not surprised to find R2-D2 waiting for him there.

"Do you approve of my 'purchases' for the ship, Artoo?" he asked the little droid.

The unit gave a positive and happy whistle.

"But what of my actions with Padme?" he questioned more softly. He knew he was treading a dangerous line with the young queen. He was a decade her senior, but he had somehow accidentally taken on the role of a big brother to the young woman. At least, he thought that was how she saw him. He wasn't sure, but he did know that he would not be wilfully blind to any of her behaviour towards him.

The whistle and hum that answered that query were a bit sadder, a bit softer, but still in the affirmative.

Obi-Wan nodded. "No," he agreed. "It won't be easy. And then there's what Master would say," he added. "And of course the Council, as they have opinions about everything."

R2-D2 unleashed a series of bleeps and whines.

"And yes, there's also Revan and Naruto to consider as well as Padme herself, you're quite right," Obi-Wan agreed. "Well, back to work," he instructed with a sigh. "I told her we'd be off the planet before we were found, I intend to keep that promise."

Just as he was saying this, Qui-Gon entered the engine room.

"A sentiment that my logic agrees with," the elder Jedi agreed with a smile, though it fell quickly into a troubled frown. "However, I have a feeling that there is something on this planet that should be brought with us," he continued, a little bit distantly. "Something that I was supposed to find."

Obi-Wan smirked at that. "The Master of the Living Force now knows the trouble of being touched by the Unifying Force," he teased happily.

Qui-Gon scowled at him. "It is not an easy feeling," he grumped.

Obi-Wan chuckled. "I am sorry, Master," he recanted light-heartedly. "But you must own the irony of it all."

Qui-Gon sighed, and sagged down into one of the few seats in the room, nodding his compliance to his Padawan. "I must focus on the mission, be mindful of the here and now, rather than that which I presently have no power to change," he recited, giving himself the advice he so often found himself giving Obi-Wan. For the first time, he realised just how very _unhelpful_ such advice must have always felt to the young man.

"I am sure if you bring the matter before the Council when you report on this mission, they will not be against sending you back to find what has inspired this feeling," Obi-Wan offered, much more helpfully. "And you will know to bring with you funds _other_ than Republic Credits when you come, because this will be your known destination."

Qui-Gon chuckled in agreement at that.

~oOo~

The small throne room of the ship was the largest, and least encumbered space available to them all, and it was there that Naruto was standing with Revan as they supervised Padme, Sabe, and the other girls in practising kata. They could argue that Naboo was peaceful until they were blue in the face, Naruto would retort that _their lives were all in danger_, yes, even the somewhat-anonymous handmaidens. At which point Revan would add that they were all, therefore, going to damn well give their would-be assassins hell before they became one with the Force.

As many centuries as Naruto and Revan had known each other, Naruto still wasn't one-hundred percent sure about the Force. Chakra had worked just fine for him after all – and _everybody_ could use that, unless their coils were messed up like Lee's had been. Still, he'd learned all the Force-type disciplines that Revan could teach him with the same zeal he had applied to learning jutsu back when the Planet of Naboo was still just the Elemental Nations.

He had actually started teaching Queen Amidala about chakra – how to access and use her own, as well as the theory of it – approximately a month into her term. Normally, Naruto didn't trust a politician even a tenth as far as he could have thrown the palace in Theed. Sure he'd had aspirations to Hokage once, but during the time he'd been learning the ropes before he'd been denied it in favour of Konohamaru, he'd actually _learned_ what-all was involved in being someone in the political arena.

And he'd discovered that he would rather sit down at a tea party with the Juubi where Ma Toad had done the cooking than deal with that mess.

Padme, however, wasn't a politician. She was an idealist. One who used her words rather than her fists, though she wasn't afraid to use the latter should she need to, he'd learned – and been sworn to secrecy over.

Not that he'd argued her desire to keep that under wraps. If nobody expected her to take the violent path, even when it was the best choice, then she would have the element of surprise when that need came. He'd said as much, and been rewarded with an unhappy but grateful blush.

Presently, each one of the young women were running through kata for the different weapons Naruto and Revan had passed out. The first 'day' on the ship, once the immediate danger of getting passed the Trade Federation's blockade around the planet had passed, the two men had taken it upon themselves to... _build upon_ the initial bodyguard training that Captain Panaka had insisted each and every one of them participate in back at the beginning of Queen Amidala's reign.

Sabe was using a staff, while Eirtae had a spear – their forms were similar, but the blade at the end of one of those weapons provided a small, subtle, but important difference in how the two weapons were used. Rabe was using one dagger with surprising efficiency, while Sache was determined to master the use of two at the same time. Yane had a short sword that Naruto had provided – a tanto, the weapon that had been given to all members of the AnBu once upon a time, and a weapon which all of them had been required to be at least proficient in, as part of the elite corps. Fe had chosen a fan as her weapon, much smaller than Temari's had been, though it was made of steel and its edges were sharp enough to slice flesh open to the bone, provided she used it right. Dane had chosen trench knives, which had surprised Revan – and caused Naruto to laugh at his friend.

He had clearly forgotten just how violent some women were capable of being. Naruto, on the other hand, still enjoyed the phantom sensation of Sakura cracking her fist into his skull any time he did something that she would call him 'baka' for.

And she'd called him 'baka' for a lot of things that were perfectly reasonable, so even after being alive for as long as he had, he still got that sensation somewhat regularly.

Padme, both Revan and Naruto had been surprised to see, had chosen to learn the sabre when presented with the opportunity. It was not a lightsaber, that was the weapon of the Jedi, but the original steel weapon. A weapon that was no less intimidating for its very real, very sharp blade. It just couldn't _melt_ stuff the way a lightsaber could.

"I kind of wish we could learn throwing weapons as well," Sabe admitted with a smile as she swung her staff around. "But the blasters do work for range I guess."

"And we have no way of properly practising _throwing_ a weapon while we're confined to an enclosed space like this," Naruto added firmly. "A thrown weapon going astray and bouncing off the walls could hurt somebody."

"Your own blaster fire also can't be used against you except if it is bounced off a weapon like a lightsaber," Reven added pointedly. "Granted, no one else really knows how to throw a shuriken these days, but it's still a blade that can be thrown back at you by an enemy. Would you chance their aim?"

"No, Master Revan," the girls all answered together, smiling at the lecture.

Yes, they all took their duties as bodyguards to Padme very seriously, but learning these... somewhat antiquated forms of fighting, however valuable they might be, was still a slight source of amusement to most of them.

Padme smiled because the others around her did, but her focus was entirely on her forms, determined to master the weapon in her hands as well as she was able, given how little time she'd had with it – and she had begun not long after meeting Revan and Naruto, unlike her handmaidens, who had only been introduced to the pair and their weapons training since they had left Naboo.

There came a gentle chime from the comm. link that connected the private room with the rest of the ship, indicating a person on the other side of the closed door that wished to speak with those beyond.

"What is it?" Revan asked in a business-like, but carefully feminine, voice into their side of the device. After all, only Obi-Wan had been told that the new 'handmaidens' were actually men. Even Captain Panaka didn't know, which really put a twist in his trousers.

"Coming up on Coruscant," Obi-Wan's voice came back, equally business-like.

"Thank you," Revan answered in his own voice, then shut off the link and turned to the young women. "Time to get ready," he told them all.

Padme fought against the urge to bite her lip in nervousness. She had studied politics, she knew it all, how the Courts and the Senate worked, but Naruto had her pegged – she was an idealist, not a politician. She could do the tasks of a politician well enough when needed, but she would never be truly comfortable in such a situation. No matter how passionate she was on any of the matters discussed.

~oOo~

"I suppose you will be returning to the Jedi Temple shortly after we land," Padme said to Obi-Wan softly as the landing protocols were gone through. They were waiting in the ship's 'throne room', those who were not required to be elsewhere at that moment – which truly only meant the Queen, her handmaidens, the Gungan, and the Jedi – the pilots knew how to land the ship without anybody hovering over their shoulders, and Captain Panaka was in another part of the ship, double-checking security before they touched down.

Once more, Sabe was dressed in the fine black dress she had boarded on, and sitting on the throne in Padme's place. They would not trade places until they were in the chambers that would – or at least _should_ – be waiting for them in Coruscant.

"I'm afraid that is probably very likely," he agreed, just as softly, then he smiled for her. "But don't think you'll be getting rid of me that easily," he warned jokingly. "We'll probably escort you as far as your apartment."

Padme smiled, which was the desired response, and then the ship were touching down, light as a feather despite the largeness of the craft, and the ramp was lowered so that they could all disembark into civilisation once more. Civilisation, the city-wide planet where it often seemed that little else grew but greed and corruption – despite the best efforts of the Jedi Temple, that was also located there.

"It is a great gift to see you alive your majesty," Palpatine greeted Sabe when their entourage descended. There was a smile that Padme could see did not reach his eyes, which both surprised and saddened her.

It seemed that some of Naruto's cynicism about politicians was rubbing off on her. Considering her earlier uncharitable thoughts about Coruscant, Revan had been as well.

"With the communications break-down, we were very concerned. I am anxious to hear your report on the situation," the Senator continued. "May I present Supreme Chancellor Valorum."

"Welcome, your highness," Valorum greeted, perhaps a little stiffly, but Padme had the impression from past communications with the man that he was always at least a little stiff. He was a very tense, and slightly nervous man. Peculiar in one who held such power as he was supposed to, but that was the Chancellor – so far as Padme had seen. "It is an honour to finally meet you in person."

"Thank you, Supreme Chancellor," Sabe replied, and the party began to walk to the Chancellor's shuttle.

"I must relate to you how distressed everyone is over the current situation," Valorum offered, and with more sincerity than Palpatine had. "I've called a special session of the Senate to hear your position," he added.

"I'm grateful for your concern, Chancellor," Sabe said politely, and very correctly.

"There is a question of procedure," Palpatine interrupted politely with that same smile, the one that didn't reach his eyes at all. "But I'm confident we can overcome it."

Padme narrowed her eyes at the man's back, as she suddenly – and for no real reason that she could pin down – suspected the the procedure he was confident in overcoming was not getting the Senate on her side and moving, but rather getting the treaty – the one that the Trade Federation wanted her signature on – signed.

It had been a few days since they had left Naboo by now. The Senator should have already made a beginning in the Senate. He should have been laying the ground work ready for her. She should not have to be concerned about procedure now that she had finally arrived. Everything should be ready for her to make a final plea, and a vote be taken as to the action that was required at the very least.

"Jedi Kenobi?" Padme asked softly as they all piled into the transport that would carry them to the quarters Palpatine had arranged for the Queen – she had been quick to claim a seat by his side, and basked in the warmth she felt from him even as she ignored the many nervous flutterings within her stomach. She was concerned for her people, that was all it was. "You have more experience with negotiating matters than I do," she admitted, already tired of politics when she had only just arrived on the planet that made its living off them. "What do you think will happen in the Senate?" she asked in a whisper.

"The Trade Federation will deny your accusations for lack of proof," Obi-Wan answered softly. "I suspect that someone else will agree that independent proof is needed before any action can be taken."

"What is your advice?" she asked in a suddenly hopeless whisper.

The young Jedi smiled. "Fortunately for your situation, there were a couple of independent witnesses to the crimes committed by the Trade Federation present on Naboo at the time of the invasion," he offered. "And they were sent by Supreme Chancellor Valorum himself, so how could the Senate contest them?"

Padme smiled gratefully, and was sorely tempted to be completely improper for even her disguised station and rest her head on his near shoulder, while twining both of her arms about one of his. She resisted.

"I'm surprised it took you until now to actually ask anybody about that," Revan quipped, his own voice just as soft as theirs as it came from directly behind Obi-Wan.

"Padme has been put through a great deal in a short amount of time Revan," Naruto censured with an easy smile. "You can't expect her to think about Senatorial reactions when she's so worried about her home and her own body betraying her."

Obi-Wan was instantly focused on Padme – and with an intensity that very nearly saw her heart completely halt. Certainly it stuttered for a moment, and her stomach had completely tied itself in a knot.

"Are you ill?" he asked, concerned as his incredibly blue eyes studied each one of Padme's features, looking for any sign of her being in less than completely perfect health. "I did not think you had met with anything that would risk your health while we were on Tatooine but..."

"I am well," Padme insisted softly, though a frown crossed her face. "I just..." she floundered. "I have such strange _feelings_," she admitted.

Obi-Wan relaxed. "Feelings, I know about," he said with certainly, and clearly willing to help her with the matter.

"I do not think my feelings are the sort you are taught about in the Jedi Temple," Padme commented.

Obi-Wan huffed a silent laugh, knowing that to _actually_ laugh would draw the attention of the rest of the party. Palpatine was speaking to Sabe, discussing the Senate. The Chancellor and Qui-Gon were talking amiably. The other handmaidens were finally talking to Jar-Jar a little more freely. At present, the only ones aware of his conversation with Padme were the two of them, Revan, and Naruto.

"Perhaps not in the Temple," Obi-Wan allowed, "but my first master made certain that I learned about every sort of feeling most species are inclined to have when he took me out with him. I admit to it having been a very embarrassing education at times," he added with a depreciating smile.

"I would like to try and figure it out on my own," Padme requested, bowing her head shyly – though she didn't actually register the action. If she had, then she would have been very surprised with herself. Padme could never recall being shy in her life, and would not register that she was shy in _this_ moment until some hours had passed.

"We've already decided we aren't going to tell her," Naruto added with a gesture between himself and Revan. "We know what's bothering Padme, but it really is something that she has to figure out for herself."

Slowly Obi-Wan nodded in acceptance of this, though his eyes shifted back and forth between Padme beside him, and Revan and Naruto behind him a few times as he tried to figure out for himself – with so very few clues – what could possibly be bothering the young queen apart from the obvious difficulty on Naboo.

~oOo~

In the apartment she was given, there was finally a chance to be properly refreshed. To clean off the sand of Tantooine, and to resume her place in the robes of a queen, rather than a handmaiden, with the painted face of her station. Sabe gladly retook her place as one of Amidala's handmaidens, and they moved as a collective to join Palpatine in the sitting room, where he had been reciting how the Senate worked since they had disappeared to change, with only Naruto and Revan watching him – they had been 'standing guard' at the door to the suite.

The Senator's voice was carried most effectively by a communications device until the Queen and her handmaidens emerged, when it was no longer needed. Regardless, Amidala had set the device to recording from the moment the Senator began his soliloquy – for later re-examination.

"There is no civility, only politics," Palpatine declared as he paced back and forth across the room, while Amidala took a seat. "The Republic is not what it once was. The Senate is full of greedy, squabbling delegates. There is no interest in the common good. I must be frank, your majesty, there is little chance the Senate will act on the invasion."

"Chancellor Valorum seems to think there is hope," Amidala pointed out regally.

"If I may say so, your majesty, the Chancellor has little real power," Palpatine countered, and it was said with a strange kind of detached viciousness that alarmed Amidala more than the words he said, and a great deal more than she let on. "He is mired by baseless accusations of corruption," he continued, and the word 'baseless', though it came before the rest, was spoken as though it was an afterthought.

An play at reassurance while at the same time forcing through a veiled negative view of the man.

Amidala made a mental note to investigate who was making those accusations, because she herself _did_ know them to be without foundation. She had only been in office for a little over a year, but already she had a good measure of the man from her previous communications with him.

"The bureaucrats are in charge now," Palpatine added.

Bureaucrats, Amidala knew from her studies, were people who enforced the strict following of rules and regulations. Certainly such people being in charge would mean having to wade through large amounts of red tape, but according to the _rules_, according to the _laws_, Naboo was the victim and the Trade Federation was in the wrong. Amidala was confident in her case, provided that the people Palpatine was so disdainfully labelling 'bureaucrats' actually _were_.

Still, it was expected of a young woman to ask an experience man for advice.

"What are our options?" Amidala questioned. It would also help her to learn more of the man's motives. He was the representative of her planet in the Senate, but recently she felt like she couldn't trust him any more. She didn't know why, but she just didn't. Maybe it was because he'd been in politics too long and now gave off that greasy-politician vibe.

"Our best option would be to push for the election of a _stronger_ Supreme Chancellor," Palpatine answered easily.

Naruto and Revan both quietly snorted in disdain, but as they were standing by Amidala's shoulders now, she'd heard them. She would question them about that reaction later, in private.

"One who could control the bureaucrats," Palpatine continued, "and one who could give us justice," he added, and that latter was more of an afterthought. "You... _could_ call for a vote of no confidence in Chancellor Valorum," he suggested.

Amidala could see his ambition there easily enough, and it concerned her. To control those who were 'in charge' of the Senate. He cared less for justice for Naboo than he did about gaining power.

"Who has been our strongest supporter?" Amidala asked sarcastically.

Palpatine backed down a little. "Our only other choice would be to submit a plea to the Courts," he said apologetically.

"The Courts take even longer to decide things than the Senate," Amidala snapped, not at all appreciating the options he had presented to her. "With the knowledge that our people are _dying_, Senator, and with no true progress made here, why had _you_ not called a vote of no confidence yourself, if you believe it to be the best recourse? Or submitted our plea to the Courts in advance of my arrival?" she demanded.

"To be realistic, your majesty, I think we're going to have to accept Federation control for the time being," Palpatine replied, blatantly avoiding answering either of her very pointed questions, as though he thought she wouldn't notice.

As though he thought she wouldn't be able to connect his words and inaction with the actions of the Trade Federation.

Palpatine then bowed to her and excused himself.

Once the door had closed behind him, Amidala turned to Revan and Naruto. "Alright, what was that for?" she asked.

"Getting a new Chancellor at this point won't do a damn thing about the situation on Naboo," Naruto stated plainly. "It's politics."

"The new Chancellor, when he or she is eventually elected after however long, would need to gather a support-base before they could take any action," Revan agreed. "You're better off inviting Senators and Ambassadors from other planets and systems to a private discussion and asking for their support in bodily evicting the Trade Federation from Naboo."

"Don't really need inter-planetary aid," Naruto pointed out. "I'll bet the Gungans could lend a hand, if you asked 'em right, and Kami knows I haven't had a chance to have a good dust-up for a _long_ time, and I was called a one-man army back when I was a teenager," he added, the joyfully wicked smirk of a trickster curling his lip.

"The last time was when we met," Revan agreed, then winced in remembered pain. "Yeah, Naruto can win against the whole droid army by himself if you really need him to," he assured the young queen.

"I'll be out for a week after, but I can do it," Naruto promised gently.

"I don't want this to come to war," Amidala insisted.

"Then what about asking the Jedi?" Naruto suggested. "Because you know the Senate will ask for proof, rather than taking you at your word, even if half of them all know you're telling the truth."  
"The Jedi are a neutral party that were sent to Naboo by the Chancellor to mediate the matter," Revan agreed.

The two men were suddenly tackled from all sides by delighted handmaidens hugging them and praising them with delighted laughter, and the only reason Queen Amidala didn't join them was because her current set of royal robes prevented any fast movement.

~oOo~

When Obi-Wan and Master Qui-Gon had completed their report to the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan was sent to the suite given to Queen Amidala, just him. Master Qui-Gon was making ready to return to Tatooine to investigate the Force prompt he'd felt while there.

"I'm here to escort her highness to the Senate," Obi-Wan informed the guard at the door, who in turn relayed that to the handmaidens inside via a communication device affixed to his uniform.

"You're early," the guard added to Obi-Wan, briefly, before a feminine voice commanded that he be admitted.

The sentiment was echoed by the handmaiden who greeted him, and then by Amidala herself before he got a chance to explain his reasoning.

It was the first time he'd actually seen _Padme_ in her royal regalia, and he could see the contours of her features beneath the white face-paint, so he knew that it was her, and not one of her handmaidens playing decoy again.

"I have permission from the Council to speak up at the Senate regarding my testimony as evidence against the Trade Federation," Obi-Wan supplied. "Master Qui-Gon and I were sent by the Supreme Chancellor to negotiate a settlement with the Trade Federation after all, and they made an attempt on our lives before even meeting us. Added together with the droid army they were carrying, and the message your majesty received from Governor Bibble, I have hope that we will be able to sway any doubters in the Senate."

Amidala smiled in gratitude at that. "Thank you, Jedi Padawan Kenobi," she said. "I do believe that my people will owe you a debt of gratitude before this day's end."

"Forgive me, your highness, but I think your neck would owe you a far greater debt of gratitude if you did not wear such an extremely elaborate fashion," Obi-Wan offered, unable to held glancing back up at her incredible hairstyle.

Amidala smiled at that. "It is a bit much," she agreed, barely restrained laughter bubbling in her tone. "But I have never been in charge of the royal wardrobe of Queen Amidala. I only get a say in my personal dress, when I have a chance to take time off from being any kind of politician."

Revan and Naruto, who were going to be her 'handmaiden' escorts for the journey to the Senate building, smirked at that. The _real_ handmaidens all gave falsely-offended exclamations as they continued to fuss with Amidala's appearance.

"Are you ready to make your way to the Senate, your highness?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Nearly," Amidala answered. "How comprehensive will your testimony be of the Federation's transgressions?" she questioned as she moved back into the hidden part of her dressing room, where a handmaiden waited with her next layer of clothing.

"I took the time to collect the mission records from the Temple Archives, as well as the single progress report that was filed with Chancellor Valorum when we landed on the Trade Federation's ship. Beyond that, I can only tell them what I personally witnessed. The droid army and its deployment, that you were held against your will, and that the royal star-ship was fired upon when we left the planet."

"Unless someone starts demanding proof," Revan started, "don't volunteer that we have any," he advised.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Mm-mm," he grunted. "Don't want anybody targeting Jedi Kenobi for this," he stated.

"Indeed not," Obi-Wan agreed with a smile. "I can protect myself, but I'd just as soon avoid assassination attempts."

"I should hate to lose someone I can call a friend to the violent machinations of a political opponent," Amidala agreed solemnly, and stepped out into view once more, finally ready.

Obi-Wan tilted his head to the side slightly as he took in the Queen.

"You look so small," he said softly.

Amidala blinked. "I don't see how," she countered.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "The large head-dress, the large clothing, but tiny little _you_ in the middle of it all, having to walk slowly and carefully so that you don't trip or over-balance," he explained. "I suppose it doesn't matter though," he added easily, and offered his arm to the young queen.

"We wanted her majesty to look as imposing as possible," one of the handmaidens, Eirtae, stated with a frustrated sigh.

"I think you went overboard a little," Obi-Wan said plainly as Amidala tentatively placed her hand on his offered arm, "but at least it in no way detracts from the beauty of Naboo's Queen," he added to Amidala herself in a whisper, spoken softly and warmly into the shell of her ear.

Amidala was glad of the thick white make up at that moment, because she could feel her cheeks warm and was certain that they would have been visibly quite pink. As well as that, her heart – which had not been calm in the first place, nervous to face the Senate as she was – stuttered for a moment before it doubled its speed.

"I- I just hope that this can all be resolved without resorting to conflict, however ready _some_ of us might be for, what did you call it, Naruto?" she asked pointedly.

Naruto grinned unrepentantly. "A good dust-up," he answered. "I'm thinking it's about time I came out of hiding again anyway. I do that every few thousand years," he admitted freely. "It's how I met Revan, after all."

"Always showing up when there's some great conflict to be fought in, and then disappearing back into the bowels of Naboo's capital city," Revan confirmed with a smirk of his own.

Obi-Wan's mouth dropped open slightly. "I think there is more to that story than I have been told," he stated in wonderment, though he didn't press for details. Instead, he merely shook his head and summoned the elevator that would take them to where the speeder was waiting to convey them all to the Senate building.

~oOo~

"The Chair recognises the Senator from the sovereign system of Naboo," Supreme Chancellor Valorum declared to the cavernous body.

Palpatine stepped up to the podium of the little pod, and it detached to be seen by all those who were in their pods, lining the walls of the building.

"Supreme Chancellor, delegates of the Senate. A tragedy has occurred," Palpatine began. "Which started right here with the taxation of the trade routes and has now engulfed our entire planet in the oppression of the Trade Federation."

"This is outrageous!" called out a voice as another pod rose to the centre of the massive space. "I object to the Senator's statements."

"The Chair does _not_ recognise the Trade Federation at this time," Chancellor Valorum censured, even as the two standing on either side of him also rose from their seats.

"To state our allegations," Palpatine resumed, "I present Queen Amidala, recently elected ruler of the Naboo, who speaks on our behalf," he said, and stepped back from the pod's podium as a wave of curious murmurs swept the echoing room.

Amidala, feeling the full weight of her headdress and robes of office, stepped up to the podium that the (possibly traitorous – wait, where had that thought come from? And yet it settled in her mind as the correct accusation...) Senator for Naboo had just vacated.

"Honourable representatives of the Republic," she began. "I come to you under what is, to my people – and potentially soon to all of yours if this matter is not handled with all speed and delicacy – very grave circumstances. My planet has been invaded by a droid army controlled by the Trade Feder-"

"I object!" shouted out the representative of the Trade Federation once more, interrupting her. "There is no proof!"

Amidala raised her chin at that. "I was not aware that you had been recognised, Sir Representative of the Trade Federation," she snapped as politely as she could. "Though I wonder how you can say there is no proof. This body is fully aware of the Trade Federation's blockade of my planet. I received a communication four standard days ago that the Senate had sent two ambassadors to negotiate a settlement between us. That, certainly, may be confirmed at once?" she demanded.

"I did order that two ambassadors be sent to negotiate a settlement," Chancellor Velorum agreed first. "And I received a communication from them when they landed on the station of the Trade Federation that was part of that blockade."

"The Trade Federation did not meet any ambassadors," countered the Federation representative.

Amidala looked back into those who had accompanied her into the Senatorial pod, despite Palpatine's gentle protestations. Naruto and Revan were present with her, while Obi-Wan, she knew, had continued on to a 'guest' pod, ready to be called upon to give testimony before the Senate should it be required of him.

Revan and Naruto both nodded solemnly. They didn't want to give away their hand, but proof had been demanded.

"I call upon Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi, a representative of the Jedi Order, and one of the Ambassadors sent by this body for the purpose of negotiating a settlement," Amidala declared.

Amidala noted, as the Naboo pod moved back slightly and the guest pod with Obi-Wan in it floated up to address the Senate, that Sentor Palpatine looked very tense and more than just a bit angry as he watched these events unfold.

"Honoured members of the Senate, how I come to stand before you now is a potentially long recitation of events, but I shall endeavour to make it as brief as I can without omitting any pertinent details," Obi-Wan began, his voice clear and steady, yet humble at the same time. His hands were folded away inside his large brown sleeves, as though to assure everybody present that he would not even attempt to use the Force to manipulate their opinions.

"My Jedi Master and I arrived at the blockade, were recognised, and granted docking permission at approximately fourteen-oh-five, intergalactic standard time on the fourteenth day of this month. We were then escorted to a meeting room by a protocol droid," he added with careful thought, not wanting to give away that he could remember the designation of that droid should an investigation require its memory banks. No need to give the Trade Federation extra reason to wipe the memory banks of likely the only non-battle droid they had on that ship.

"My master and I waited for somewhere between ten and twenty minutes without being greeted by any members of the Trade Federation when the droid returned with refreshments. I did not have the time to finish the drink brought to me when there was a sound of an explosion, a gas came through the air-vents, and I know that I felt the death of both of the pilots of the ship we had arrived on. Please be aware that _this_ is not an accusation," he said quickly, cutting off the Federation's representative before he could object again. "As both a Jedi and an Ambassador in this situation, I will make no accusations. I am only giving testimony at this time of what I saw and experienced."

"Thank you, Jedi Kenobi," Chancellor Valorum said with a grateful tilt to his head. "Please continue."

"The doors of the room were shut, and were I not a Jedi I would have suffocated in the thick gas. Again, this is not an accusation. The explosion that I heard could have been as well as caused an accident. When the doors were opened and blaster fire opened upon us, however, that was much harder to justify as an accident," Obi-Wan declared firmly. "Still, the droids kept by the Trade Federation could have malfunctioned, and my master and I set out to meet the Federation heads that were on base to learn the truth of this. More droids attacked us as we made our way to the bridge, and we were forced to retreat from that line of enquiry. Our retreat led us to where I was able to obtain _this_ image capture," Obi-Wan said, and brought up the image from the log he had been referencing as he made his report to the Senate.

It was an image of the droid army, waiting for deployment, in the Trade Federation's main station orbiting Naboo.

Gasps went up around the Senate, especially when the first of the ships was deployed, presumably to the planet below.

"Jedi Kenobi, may I press to know why you thought to have the equipment to take captures?" the Chancellor asked as he stared, as shocked as everybody else in the room, at the projected image.

Obi-Wan smiled a little sheepishly. "I had heard of the beauty of Naboo before being sent on this mission, and had hoped for a chance to see some of that beauty before returning to Coruscant," he explained doing his level best not to duck his head in embarrassment – showing weakness before a room full of politicians.

"Thank you, Jedi Kenobi," the Chancellor answered. "Have you anything further to say on this matter?"

Obi-Wan nodded solemnly. "As a Jedi who has been trained in such matters of investigation and mediation, and as one who had already been appointed by this Senate to investigate the matter, my evidence must be taken as both _impartial_, as this was the spirit it was given in, and also as _valid_. This army of droids has already been deployed upon Naboo," Obi-Wan declared over the echoing murmurs of disbelief. He changed the image to one he had captured quickly before freeing the pilots in the hangar. "And they are holding the people of Naboo hostage."

Obi-Wan closed the image after that statement had sunk in, and stepped back. His pod drifted back from the centre of the Senate as he sat down one the seat that was part of the pod.

Amidala retook her place as the focus of the Senate when she stood once more, and her pod drifted forward again.

"I do _not_ wish for this conflict to come to war," she stated plainly. "The Naboo have been a _peaceful_ people for several centuries," she emphasised. "If the Trade Federation do not remove their droid army from my planet, however, then I will have no choice but to return to Naboo and fight to reclaim my home. The Naboo were not always so peaceful as they are now," she added, making the statement sound as ominous as she possibly could.

No one else saw Naruto's manic grin, or Revan's darkly promising smirk. Concerned, thoughtful silence echoed around the chamber nevertheless.

"Jedi Kenobi," the Chancellor called up once more. "Do the Jedi Order stand beside Naboo in this?" he asked.

"I cannot answer for the Jedi Council," Obi-Wan replied honestly. "I am not a part of it. Nor can I answer for the Order as a whole. I have rarely been present in the Temple for more than five days together over the past fifteen years. I am present here, now, with the knowledge and permission of the Council as well as my own Master, but I do not have authority to speak on their behalf. I do have leave to give you their reasoning for sending me, if that will be sufficient?" he offered.

"Please, Jedi Kenobi," the Chancellor requested.

"The Jedi Council sent me to give testimony to my knowledge of the impending conflict between Naboo and the Trade Federation with the express hope that the Senate find a peaceful resolution to this matter with all alacrity," Obi-Wan stated.

Chancellor Valorum nodded in acceptance of this. "Thank you, Jedi Kenobi," he said, and turned to address the Senate at large. "It is clear to me that this matter is one that _must_ be resolved quickly," he declared with a severe frown.

~oOo~

"That must be a session for the record books," Senator Palpatine declared as they left the building behind after six solid hours of discussion. "I haven't seen the Senate move so quickly on a matter since I was a teenager learning how it all worked."

He didn't seem at all happy about it though. In fact, he looked downright dissatisfied and frustrated – not at all the expression one would expect for a man who's home planet had just effectively won a coup in the Senate.

"It was certainly effective," Amidala answered with a much more pleased expression. "Implying that it could be the homes of any of the other senators that the Trade Federation targeted next was a most effective method of getting faster results," she commented happily, dancing brown eyes conveying gratitude to both Revan and Naruto, who had suggested that ploy. After all, no one knew why, exactly, Naboo had been chosen for the boycott, of all places.

Both Naruto and Revan bowed their heads back subtly.

"And Jedi Kenobi's evidence was certainly most helpful to our cause," Amidala added, her smile stretching even wider as she looked over to the Jedi who had once again offered her his arm, and which she was pleased to take advantage of once more.

"It is my place to serve the galaxy," Obi-Wan stated, and his tone was somehow light-hearted and solemn at the same time. "And in some instances, it is also most truly a pleasure," he added softly, and smiled to the young queen who was currently borrowing his arm.

"There remains some concern," Palpatine cautioned. "The Trade Federation may decide not to abide by the Senate's decision. They may elect to remain in illegal occupation."

Amidala nearly tripped on her hem at that, but Obi-Wan and Naruto both caught her, and Naruto squeezed his queen's hand to remind her of the assertion she had brought before the Senate not so long ago: Naboo had not always been as peaceful as it was now, and it would not be hard for the true power of their past to evict the Trade Federation from their home.

"If that should be the case, then _Naboo herself_ will remove them," Amidala declared with a low growl.

~The End~

~Omake~

Some months after they'd evicted the droid army from Naboo, Naruto and Revan had somehow – they weren't sure exactly, though they had some idea that it had to do with Obi-Wan's knighting – found themselves in the chamber of the Jedi Council at the same time as Qui-Gon was there with a little boy he'd brought back from Tatooine.

A familiar little boy.

"The Force is strong with him," agreed one of the Councillors.

"He is to be trained then?" Qui-Gon asked/stated.

"No," answered a dark-skinned Jedi who Obi-Wan had told them beforehand was called Mace Windu. "He will not be trained."

"No?" Qui-Gon demanded, hands going to his hips.

"He's too old," Mace said simply.

"He _is_ the Chosen One," Qui-Gon insisted. "You must see that!"

"Excuse me for interrupting, but... 'chosen one'?" Revan asked.

"Prophecy, there is," Yoda answered. The little green trog with the great big ears could only be Yoda. They'd been told about him. "Obi-Wan, a recitation for your guests."

"_In the time of greatest despair,_ _a child shall be born_ _who will destroy the Sith_ _and bring balance to the Force_," Obi-Wan obediently recited. "I'm the one who did the research on the prophecy for Master Qui-Gon," he added softly to Naruto and Revan.

"Kid's nine," Naruto said plainly. "Was there a time of 'great despair' nine years ago that I didn't hear about?" he asked pointedly. "I admit I was out of the loop a little, but I'm fairly sure that _I_ qualify for 'born in a time of great despair' more than little Mr Skywalker here."

"You?" Mace Windu asked, surprised and slightly confused. "I'm sorry, but we haven't even been properly introduced to you."

Naruto shrugged easily. "Naruto Uzumaki, this is Revan. I was born as a demon – yes, a literal demon – as tall as this building was rampaging against my village, with people dying everywhere. Hell, I was being called 'child of the prophecy' myself back when I was in my teens."

Eyes went wide in the chamber. Only Revan wasn't surprised. He'd heard the story before.

"Nebulous Prophecy is mostly junk anyway," Revan quipped. "Self-fulfilling, and never fun. Best ignored and forgotten. Unlike the Sith," he added, much more seriously, his red eyes glaring around the room. "I understand you all think that the Sith are extinct."

"They have been for over a thousand years," offered the Jedi to Yoda's right.

Revan and Naruto both snorted in disgust.

"I invite all of you down to the Archives to research the one called Revan. Revan the Butcher. Revan the Prodigal Knight. _Darth_ Revan," Revan snarled at them.

Those eyes, which had relaxed from being wide-eyed only a moment before practically popped out of their associated skulls. Jaws dropped too.

"Sith are less plentiful," Revan said. "But I'm certain of," he paused to close his eyes and concentrate on the Force. "At least _three_ being alive right now, and that apart from myself, since I'm not really properly Sith any more."

"Um, Naruto?" Obi-Wan spoke up hesitantly. "I know that the Sith being around is a big deal, but... a demon?" he asked weakly.

Naruto chuckled. "The most powerful of nine that used to wander Naboo periodically," he answered easily. "Dad managed to break it into two, because you really can't _kill_ a demon, and sealed half into me while the other half was sealed into another kid by some monks. There was this nut job though, wanted to collect all the Biju up so that he would have the power to create an illusion over the whole world."

"Causing war along the way?" Revan quipped, having not heard this story for a while, so he wasn't perfectly clear on the details.

"Nah, that was his intermediary," Naruto corrected easily. "Pein believed he could create world peace through war. He wasn't exactly sane either, but he was aiming for world peace at the end. Just went about it in a bad way. He got called the 'child of the prophecy' too. It can really do bad things to the brain, having a prophecy laid on you."

"You turned out alright," Obi-Wan offered.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at his young friend. "I ultimately re-combined the nine Biju into the Jubei, re-sealed it inside myself, have seen the culture and habits of my entire planet fade away and be completely replaced, and am a century or two over a _million_ years old. If I wasn't well adjusted by this point, the entire galaxy would know about it," he said flatly.

"He's still a prankster too," Revan added. "Expect none of your whites to still _be_ white when you get back to your rooms," he warned the Council.

Yoda narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "Like this one, I do," he proclaimed shrewdly. "However, change the fate of young Skywalker, this does not. Trained, he shall not be."

"Not by you," Revan and Naruto answered at the same time.

Naruto grabbed Anikin around the waist and hoisted him up like a sack of rice. "Come on gaki," he said as he headed for the door. "Back to Naboo with us. You'll live with Revan and me, and _we'll_ teach you stuff. You'll hate it. It'll be great!"

"He _is_ a million years old, roughly," Revan said. "I don't think he was ever sane though. Obi-Wan, congratulations on becoming a Jedi Knight. Be sure not to get caught up in all their modern, stuff, nonsense rules like not being allowed a family, or that Jedi can only be trained before a certain age. That foolishness has only been around the last three-hundred years or so. I hope you'll visit us?"

Obi-Wan nodded dumbly.

Revan looked over his shoulder at Yoda. "You can visit too," he permitted, and then he followed Naruto out.

Behind them, Yoda laughed.

~The End~


End file.
